First Thoughts

I recently enrolled on a course called Artscience on Seti, which is loosely researching into thinking creatively about using language to communicate with aliens/extra terrestrials. When asked why I had enrolled I replied saying it was because.... well firstly I am curious about the universe and secondly because the language aspect reminded me of a line from a track by Incubus called New Skin reading 'Until the twentieth century, reality was everything humans could touch, smell, see and hear. Since the initial publication of the chartered electromagnetic spectrum, what humans could touch, smell, see and hear is less than one millionth of reality'. How incredibly interesting. What if we could extend our senses?? What new things or experiences would we discover?? How could we imagine these new senses when we only know our own?? I am reminded about my recent fascination in the Mediated Architecture course with changing the characteristics of sound and sensing it as a physical object. How we can link sound with vibration... another sense.. but still regard sound as a singular occurrence or event. I made the connection that when considering the effect of sounds on image the sense we get is such a small aspect of what is actually happening in a grand reality. I am a firm believer of the 'theory of everything' or that everything is linked to everything although I do not know how. 'The universe is a living superorganism.' It is hard to step out of our own experience and think of how aliens could perceive the world ... I for one feel it is a creative process and possibly the role of the artist to think about this.

More research into senses developed with the consideration of synesthesia. 'Synesthesia is linked to an emotional experience as much as it is to physical perception, art inspired in synesthia is equally so, and therefore strongly subjective. The sense of beauty attained in intensely emotional experiences can be felt when a work of art is ultimately successful.' A suggestion could be made that synesthesia occurs when the brain interprets one sense and wrongly applies to another at the same time... but this doesn't explain why some synesthetes see coloured numbers or letters. I considered the idea that it was an emotional overload... like crying or laughing... but quickly disregarded this theory. Synesthetes typically have good memories and are more often than not mentally balanced (and mostly women)... maybe there is more to the physical world that connect the substances we sense and the way we interpret our senses into language (numbers and letters). - 'Synesthetes have an aptitude for sensing balance and acute observational skills'... This lead me to thinking about a theory I'd vaguely heard of that humans will develop or have the capacity to develop a superior or more intelligent consciousness... sometimes referred to as 'Cosmic Consciousness'.

It appears that many people have spoken of an experience that is described as Cosmis Conciousness (including myself) all mostly considering it as a spiritual experience.

'The experience comes on suddenly without warning with a sensation of being immersed in a flame or rose-coloured cloud and is accompanied by a feeling of ecstasy, moral and intellectual illumination in which, like a flash, a clear conception in outline is presented to the mind of the meaning a drift of the universe.'

'ineffable light, light rare, untellable light beyond all signs, descriptions and languages'

I would add that the experience was unlike any intense emotional experience I have ever had, although I would certainly agree that there was a feeling of ecstasy it was just not related to any event and didn't feel like it was produced by anything earthly (like hormones). Although I had the experience a number or years ago now and I don't really recall much detail. I would say, that it felt like I could see everything in the universe or in existence... like I ascended from earth and could understand everything . It was just for a few moments but felt like a lot longer... At the time I associated the experience as a spiritual one.. like I was seeing the universe through the eyes of God. How could I present this experience to the world? and how can I research into its meaning? And I think... as mentioned above, that I could start with attempting to artistically extend the senses.